I don't even think the head mechanic should be fired. Webber's red bull was also released unsafely. How many times has Ferrari released cars unsafely? Williams used to be the worst at attaching wheels.

When the teams are forced into having to make pitstops in which they are racing against time, human errors WILL happen.

So do most think its ok that they did not even tell Alonso about the danger.
I agree it is not right that the drivers have a penalty but no way Renault should be let off so lightly.
stripped of all points for this year and a £50-150M fine would be about right in my book.
Dont forget that Maclaren ended up with a 100M fine for being given information by a ferrari employee.
Isnt putting lives at risk far worse?
Zhuk no watching someone will never be more important than safety.
After all it was only luck that stopped the wheel putting alonso in hospital when it came off.
As when it came off it came back towards Alonso it was just luck it hit the barge board rather than bouncing up into the cockpit

Renault should definitely be racing at Valencia, the fans want to see Renault and Alonso race and that is what is most important.

Some of us fans remember with respect the mashalls at Italy and Australia getting killed by errant wheels so in future speak for yourself. Your selfish by the way, considering only what you will lose out on.

When the teams are forced into having to make pitstops in which they are racing against time, human errors WILL happen.

Which part of the post "human error" Renault knowingly released Alonso with a dangerous car and then failed to warn him allowing an errant wheel incident that has previously killed people don't you understand?

Renault should be fined, howeer Alonso should not be penalised. The FIA would be shooting themselves in the foot by not allowing Alonso to race in his home GP. It would create even mroe FIA hatred after what's already happened this year. THe only thing that will soften the blow is that all the attention will be on Schumi's comeback. But you know what, it'll be a real joy to see Schumi race against Hamilton (which we never saw) and race Kimi with the same car.

I have no idea what FIA thinks they will accomplish with this. Do they believe that a top F1 team is so careless and unconcerned that they really couldn't be bothered with taking due precautions to avoid a wheel coming off, in a sport where carelessness can lead to bankruptcy, or to injury of drivers and spectators. That would be a definition of negligence and would warrant a penalty like this. But that is not the case here. This was human error in sport where both the technical and the human elements are stretched to their limits. It's no different than some of the dumb decisions drivers make, which are almost always dismissed as 'racing incidents'. The only difference here was this happened with the pit crew, who are under equal stress, and don't have a fan franchise to speak up for them. It's really one of many examples of the FIA culture in F1 which is bureaucratic, casting blame while accepting none. In part its because Mosley has impressed his own personality on it, which is why i'm glad his time is coming to an end, and why i hope no one he is nominating is given the post.

THe only thing that will soften the blow is that all the attention will be on Schumi's comeback. But you know what, it'll be a real joy to see Schumi race against Hamilton (which we never saw) and race Kimi with the same car.

Unless a certain BCE realises that, with Alonso on the grid for Valencia, then he's got a full house for every world champion of this decade present in the same race. Not that this will influence the outcome - oh no.

off course they should race, it was unsafe, but so was Kimi and his loose exhaust last year in France and so was Nick Heidfeld doing a lap without wheelnut in spain 2007. Neither was punished, so unless there was a rulechange since then banning them is ludicrous.

Massa of all people was allowed to drive the lenght of the pitlane with the fuel hoae still attached

This is a similar kind of call (definitely a mistake btw).. no need for a witch hunt

renault where found guilty ofa) releasing a car from the pits with a safety problem (understandable error)b) not stopping the car in the pit lane (ok, short timing)c) not stopping the car for 75% of the lap (until it failed)

Ferrari & Massa in Singapore made the a) error.....bu they stopped at b).Similar kind?

renault where found guilty ofa) releasing a car from the pits with a safety problem (understandable error)b) not stopping the car in the pit lane (ok, short timing)c) not stopping the car for 75% of the lap (until it failed)

I don't even think the head mechanic should be fired. Webber's red bull was also released unsafely. How many times has Ferrari released cars unsafely? Williams used to be the worst at attaching wheels.

When the teams are forced into having to make pitstops in which they are racing against time, human errors WILL happen.

and what I do not like about FIA rules is that they are general and leave room for personal interpretation...

So do most think its ok that they did not even tell Alonso about the danger.I agree it is not right that the drivers have a penalty but no way Renault should be let off so lightly.stripped of all points for this year and a £50-150M fine would be about right in my book.Dont forget that Maclaren ended up with a 100M fine for being given information by a ferrari employee.Isnt putting lives at risk far worse?Zhuk no watching someone will never be more important than safety.After all it was only luck that stopped the wheel putting alonso in hospital when it came off.As when it came off it came back towards Alonso it was just luck it hit the barge board rather than bouncing up into the cockpit

Do you actually believe that Alonso didn't know a wheel was about to come off ? Believe me, he knew. From the moment he drove off, he noticed that the wheel was shaking terribly, he slowed down and tried to get to the pits. Before he managed to do so, the wheelfairing came off, and shortly after , the wheel itself. I think it didn't come as a big surprise to him though. And the fact Renault is punished because they didn't tell Alonso is the biggest pile of bs i've ever heard, he already knew. So now Renault is punished because he tried to get back to the pits.... what's next ? If you're rearview mirror is shaking a little you need to pull over and stop racing ? Come on people, this can't be serious, can it ?

off course they should race, it was unsafe, but so was Kimi and his loose exhaust last year in France and so was Nick Heidfeld doing a lap without wheelnut in spain 2007. Neither was punished, so unless there was a rulechange since then banning them is ludicrous.

An outright ban or grid penalties affects the driver, when the stewards explicitly said that the team kept information from the driver in this instance. Docking constructor points is a better option I believe.

Anyway, what's the betting that the decision from the case is that Renault are not entitled to have their appeal heard based on some subtle technicality?

Massa of all people was allowed to drive the lenght of the pitlane with the fuel hoae still attached

This is a similar kind of call (definitely a mistake btw).. no need for a witch hunt

Yeah but Massa stopped as soon as he could, Alonso did not. Also we don't know if he was told on the radio, the stewards will. According to the report he was not told by the team so I think a ban is apporiate espically after the Surtees and Massa incidents.

I think they should be given a suspended ban (if they break the rules again in the next 2 years for example they get a ban of X number of races) and a large fine, and maybe possibly a loss of WCC points. I don't really think Alonso himself (or Piquet even though he wasn't involved) should be banned. That was a bit harsh I'd say.

Bullshit, he is unable to see if the wheel has it's safety retainer or not - the wheelnut can be loose but if the retainer is in place it won't fall off.

He said the wheel had a terrible unbalance, his steering wheel was shaking heavily. You actually think that he felt this, and thought "Oh well, maybe nothing's wrong" ? He already was driving at very slow speed off the racing line, he knew his car was in deep trouble and he was trying to make it to the pits. He said he saw the wheel fairing come off, that usually is a sign of things to come, and Alonso has been racing cars long enough to expect what was going to happen.

I have no idea what FIA thinks they will accomplish with this. Do they believe that a top F1 team is so careless and unconcerned that they really couldn't be bothered with taking due precautions to avoid a wheel coming off

yes thats carlessnessfar worse than that they did not even warn their driverWhat do you think of the fact that when Alonso said i think i have a puncture over the radio to them that they did not say Sorry no Alonso your front wheel is not fitted correctly?Is that just a forgetfull moment?

1: Renault should probably be racing in Valencia, however they should have 10 Championship points docked for this incident, PLUS a fine of $100,000 to the FIA Motorsport Safety Development Fund. This way punishment is fair, it does not affect the driver who had no part in it an sets the precedent for other teams to pay heed by.

2: What do you do to stop this happening again? Teams should be given clear instructions that they must radio in their problem the moment it is discovered they may have a problem with the car, i.e. a mechanic knows something was not fitted properly. The track then goes to a full course YELLLOW, all marshalls bring out the yellow flags, all drivers instantly raise their hand to acknowledge the flags and back off, knowing that there is going to be a slower car somewhere on the track. The car in question engages the pit-lane limiter to reduce the risk of anything flying off the car at speed. Once he reaches the pit-lane road, the flags are signalled to be pulled in and racing begins again....

This is a simple solution that all drivers would be happy to abide by, it saves the need for the safety car, it ensures the marshalls safety by reducing the damaged cars speed to pit lane speed, problem solved.